The Slayer of the Apocalypse
by JTIonarch
Summary: A mysterious man shows up at the guild one day, and asks to join Fairy Tail. He reminds everyone of a member of the guild who died battling the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse. The wheels of fate have been set in motion and the world must prepare itself for the rise of its saviour or suffer the apocalypse. *Contains original characters*
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

I looked up at the towering mass above me with hatred. This monster had just obliterated an entire city and there was nothing I could do. I scanned my body for injuries. There were minor lacerations all over the place, the radial bone in my left arm had snapped and there was a deep gash on my left leg. I couldn't keep this up for much longer. The monster roared at the night sky, a twisted victory shout that could be heard for miles around.

"My body is at its limit," I thought, "I only have enough energy for one more offensive."

I stood up as best as I could and I prepared myself for what was to come. I took a deep breath and gathered all my remaining magic energy. I could feel the ethernano in the atmosphere around me react to my magic, slowly gathering in the palms of my hands. The monster noticed what I was doing, and turned to look at me. The intensity of my magic was breaking down the very fabric of the ethernano particles releasing small, potent bursts of energy that were reabsorbed into the spell. This was my last stand fighting to protect my friends from this abomination. The legendary Black Dragon of the Apocalypse, Acnologia drew back its head as it gathered ethernano particles in its maw to fire a compressed wave of its magic at me. I stared it right in the eye, to make sure that I looked Death in the eye and let it know that I wasn't afraid of it.

"The very fabric of magic shall do my bidding,

Awaken within the palms of my hands,

Release thy power in thy quest for redemption,

And spread forth through the lands."

I condensed all the residual magic into a tight ball in my right palm and directed it at the beast. A threatening black light shone from its maw signalling the imminent discharge of its magic.

"This is it," I thought.

The mark of Fairy Tail on my right arm glowed a soft golden colour.

"Annihilation."

I completed the spell by saying its name. A gigantic wave of energy shot out from my palm gouging a gaping hole in the earth. Anything caught in its path was broken down to a sub-atomic level and ceased to exist as matter. Acnologia fired its magic at the approaching wave. The two spells collided with a loud bang that was heard in the neighbouring country. Black wrestled with gold as the two spells fought for dominance. I watched the discharges trying to overcome one another, when suddenly another black wave came up behind the first and overwhelmed my magic. I watched with sad eyes as my magic was pushed aside and the black wave bore down on me. I stood up shakily and looked up to the night sky one last time. I noticed with regret that the sky was obscured with a mushroom shaped cloud as a result of the immense discharge.

"Farewell Natsu," I thought, "We shall meet again someday."

Then the wave hit me.

**Chapter 1**

It was a chilly day in the Town of Magnolia. A resident of Magnolia would immediately know that something was wrong. It was too quiet. The guild known as Fairy Tail was infamous for its loud and boisterous antics. Today, however, all was calm with the building being almost empty. Lucy Heartphilia was sitting at the bar and wondering why everyone was so quiet.

"Hey Mira," she called, "what's going on? Why is everyone so calm today?"

The beautiful barmaid looked up from her work and smiled at the blonde.

"You haven't been with the guild for very long have you, Lucy?" she asked.

When the girl shook her head, Mira sighed and sat down across from her.

"Today is a special day for us," she said, "a day of mourning. We lost a very special friend to fate on this day, four years ago."

She reached down to a shelf under the bar and rummaged in it until she found a pristine, carefully framed photograph. She showed it to Lucy, who took in the details of the picture. It was an old snap of the guild members, possibly from a few years ago. Lucy immediately recognised the laughing boy with the spiky pink hair, a raven haired boy dressed only in shorts and a scarlet haired girl in armour. The only person she didn't recognise was a handsome platinum haired teen, upon whose shoulders Natsu sat. He was tall and slim, dressed in a black shirt, white pants and a white cloak with gold trimmings. The clothes, however, belied a lean yet muscular physique. His pale features were pulled up in a content smile, but Lucy could discern a high forehead, a sculpted nose and thin lips. His high cheekbones gave him a noble sort of air and Lucy noted with interest that his hair was styled in a simple yet elegant fauxhawk with short bangs on his forehead.

"This is Puneeth, a former S-class mage from our guild. He came from a country to the east of Fiore known as Candia. He was an extremely powerful mage for his age and most considered him to be the equal of even The Wizard Saints." She pointed at Natsu who was riding on his shoulders. "He was the one who found Natsu in a forest, hundreds of miles away where Igneel used to train him. He brought him to the guild and made him join. Natsu considered him to be his elder brother. They were very close."

Lucy looked around the guild and noticed that the fiery dragon slayer was missing.

"Natsu never comes in on this day. He spends the day at Puneeth's old house with his memories," Mirajane said, sadly.

"How did he die?" Lucy asked before she could stop herself. She immediately placed her hand on her mouth and looked apologetically at Mirajane.

"It's alright, I will tell you," said Mira, "he was visiting his family in Candia when they were attacked by a monster. Unfortunately, this wasn't an ordinary monster. Have you ever heard of the famed Black Dragon of the Apocalypse?" asked Mira.

"The one that is known to have destroyed a country?" Lucy replied.

"The very same. The country that it destroyed was known as Candia." Lucy's eyes widened in shock, understanding the implications of what Mira was saying.

"As fate would have had it, the dragon attacked the city that Puneeth was staying at. He engaged the monster in a battle, the repercussions of which were felt all the way here in Magnolia. Those who witnessed it described it as unearthly, a tremendous clash of power between two titans of magic. After evacuating the city of survivors and ensuring that they were out of harm's way, Puneeth battled the dragon and even managed to mark it on the jaw with a hit. He was, however, overwhelmed by the dragon's might and perished after a valiant fight to the death. The survivors often speak in awe of how he never collapsed in front of the dragon and died on his feet while facing it." Mira had tears in her eyes by the time she completed the story. Lucy looked at the teen in the photo with fresh respect and awe in her eyes. She placed her hand on top of Mira's shaking hand and comforted her.

I climbed to the summit of the hill and was rewarded with a spectacular view of the Town of Magnolia draped in autumn's beauty. I adjusted my cloak and looked for the building that was my objective. I smiled a humourless smile when I finally noticed it.

"It's been a while, Fairy Tail."


	2. Memories

**Chapter 2**

Natsu Dragneel was lying down on the floor. He breathed in the scent of the house. It reminded him of warm meadows basking in sunlight. Even after 4 years of not being habited, the house still smelt like him. He closed his eyes and remembered their first meeting.

_"Igneel!" Natsu screamed, "where are you?" _

_His tiny body shook with deep, racking sobs as he cried into his muffler, the only remaining sign of his foster-father. He had woken up to find the cave empty. Feeling hungry, he decided to leave the cave to look for Igneel. This had occurred a few days ago and there was still no sign of the fire dragon. It wasn't uncommon for him to be away for a few hours, but he would always make sure to give Natsu warning for his disappearances. Natsu had looked everywhere for a sign, a carving left behind by his father to assure him that this was a routine trip and he would be back by sunset to share some spicy food with him. The emotional pressure had been too much for the poor boy and he succumbed to crying to relieve his tension. He hadn't eaten in a day and was feeling ravenous which didn't particularly help the situation. He curled up into a ball on the ground, too tired to cry and too hungry to move. He leapt up, however, at the sound of approaching footsteps._

_"Igneel!" he cried, as he looked around for a sign that his father had returned._

_To Natsu's disappointment, a humanoid figure emerged from the recesses of the forest. His curiosity, however, was peaked. No human dared to walk the paths of this forest for it was rumoured that a powerful entity resided in it. That entity was of course, his father, the fire dragon, Igneel. Yet this platinum haired youth had crossed the entirety of the forest and had found his home. The newcomer looked at the boy in surprise._

_"Hello there," the youth said, "I didn't think that there would be a child living here. This forest is home to a very powerful monster."_

_"You watch what you say about my dad, you white-haired freak," Natsu rudely retorted._

_The stranger was surprised at his rudeness, but took it in his stride._

_"I think you have taken your fascination with pink to your head, literally," the stranger smirked._

_"Huh?" said the boy, not understanding the play on words._

_"Nevermind," the stranger sighed. "You said that your dad lives here too?"_

_At the mention of Igneel, Natsu immediately receded back into his depressed state. The stranger noticed this and immediately attempted to bring the boy back out of his shell._

_"What's your name?" the stranger asked in a soft voice._

_"Natsu," the boy replied sullenly._

_"It is a pleasure to meet you, Natsu. My name is Puneeth," said the stranger._

_Natsu looked at the floor, not quite sure how to respond._

_"So what are you doing here?" asked Puneeth._

_"I live here," replied the boy. "What are you doing here?"_

_"Oh, I was just passing through the area on my way home when I heard your cries and I decided to make sure that you were alright," said Puneeth. "Are you alright?"_

_"I can't find my dad," Natsu said tearfully. "I haven't seen him for a few days now."_

_"Is that so?" Puneeth commented. "Tell you what, I will help you find him."_

_"Really? You promise?" Natsu asked innocently._

_"Sure, but first of all, you have to tell me what he looks like, so that we have something to work with." Puneeth replied._

_"Oh, that's easy. He is big, red, has wings and breathes fire," said the boy, cheerfully._

_"What?" said Puneeth, not quite sure whether the boy was serious or just pulling his leg._

_"My dad. His name is Igneel and he is a dragon," said the boy._

_A moment of absolute silence ensued._

_" A dragon?!," Puneeth shouted. "Are you serious?"_

_"Of course," the boy pouted. "Why would I joke about something like that?"_

_"A dragon? Of course. It all makes sense. Powerful entity….who would have thought….dragons do exist after all," Puneeth muttered._

_"Hey! You promised that you would help me find Igneel," the boy said._

_He looked up to see the stranger pull himself out of his thoughts and look at the boy with fresh interest._

_"Okay, here's what's going to happen," Puneeth said, "I am going to help you look for this Igneel, but if he has disappeared, he must have had a good reason for doing so. So it is highly improbable that he stuck around nearby."_

_The boy burst into tears upon hearing these words._

_"Hey, hey , hey! Calm down," Puneeth sputtered. "Look, crying isn't going to bring Igneel back. So how about you come with me to my family and you can stay with us until we find Igneel?"_

_The boy immediately ceased crying and looked up at the stranger with wet eyes._

_"You will help me find Igneel and take care of me?" the boy asked incredulously._

_"Of course," Puneeth replied, without hesitation. "What are friends for?"_

_Upon hearing that statement, Natsu tackled his new friend in a hug._

_"Thank you, thank you, thank you," he screamed joyfully._

_Puneeth grimaced at the force of the hug, but smiled inwardly._

_"What a weird kid," he said._

Natsu opened his eyes and smiled, remembering how they argued the first time they met. He remembered how Puneeth and him journeyed for several days over different terrains until they reached the town of Magnolia. He remembered how he had looked up at the guild in awe as Puneeth explained the significance of its name. He didn't really understand what he said, but it sounded cool.

_"Hello Master, how's it going?" asked Puneeth, as he approached a short, old man wearing a funny costume sitting at the bar._

_The man looked up from his drink, and grinned at the sight of the teen._

_"Well, well, well, if it isn't the legendary 'Titan of the East'," the man said with twinkling eyes._

_Puneeth groaned._

_"Is that what they are calling me now? What a presumptuous title," Puneeth said._

_"You shouldn't try so hard to impress them then. It's not every day that 10 dark guilds are taken down by one mage."_

_"They attacked me first."_

_"Whatever, you're stuck with that name now," the man guffawed._

_He suddenly noticed Natsu eyeing the guild hall._

_"What's with the pinkie you got there?" inquired the man._

_"This is Natsu," Puneeth replied. "I found him in a forest on the way back."_

_"Is that right?" _

_He turned to the boy._

_"Welcome to Fairy Tail, brat," said the man. "My name is Makarov Dreyar and I am the guild master of this train wreck. You can call me Master or Casanova, whichever you prefer."_

_"Okay, gramps," the boy replied, grinning evilly._

_Makarov laughed loudly._

_"We are going to get along just fine, brat," he said, jovially._

_"Speaking of getting along," Puneeth interrupted, "we need to talk."_

_Makarov turned towards the teen, and immediately sobered up on looking at the serious expression on his face._

_"My office will be fine," he said as he jumped down from his stool and walked around the bar to open a door, closely followed by the teen._

_Natsu looked around and spotted a raven haired boy, wearing nothing but his boxers. The boy noticed Natsu's gaze and turned to look at him with an expression of annoyance._

_"What are you looking at, you pink haired freak?" demanded the boy._

_Before Natsu could respond, a cute brown haired girl appeared behind the boy._

_"Gray! Your clothes," she said, while pointing at the boy._

_The boy looked down, and a genuine expression of surprise flitted across his face._

_"Shit," he swore. "Why does that always happen?"_

_Natsu smirked and turned away._

_"What a pervert," he said, just loud enough for the boy to hear him._

_The raven-haired boy looked at him with an enraged expression and proceeded to butt foreheads with him._

_"What did you just call me, flower boy?" he said, throwing a punch at Natsu._

_That triggered a mild fist fight between the two, generating interest from other members of the guild._

_"He sure is a feisty one, eh Wakaba?," a purple haired man said to his brown haired friend._

_"This is great,Macao," his friend said. "Free entertainment is always welcome."_

_The fight went on for some time, with the spectators looking on in amusement, until a scarlet-haired girl in armour strode up between the two and pushed them away from each other._

_"Fighting in the guild is prohibited," she proclaimed in a rather bossy tone._

_"Get the hell away from me, you idiot," Natsu shouted as he tried to reach around the girl to pummel his opponent._

_The boy paled as he recognised the armoured individual._

_"Erza..," he managed, before he was knocked out with a swift punch to the head._

_Natsu was in a similar position to his right, with a growing welt on his head._

_"What the hell was that for," Natsu shouted, before he attempted to charge the girl._

_He was interrupted, however, when he felt an arm on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw that it had been stretched over 6 feet with its base ending at Makarov's shoulder._

_"I see you have already met Gray and Erza," he sighed. _

_He turned towards the rest of the guild._

_"Everyone," he called, attracting their attention, "this is Natsu Dragneel. He is going to join our guild. Make sure you welcome him properly and treat as you would anyone within our family."_

_Natsu looked around at the word "family" and spotted Puneeth smiling at him. He felt his features stretch into a genuine smile, his first since Igneel disappeared._

_"Maybe this isn't so bad after all," he thought._

Natsu shifted his position on the floor. His back was starting to get sore from lying on the marble floor for so long. He smiled remembering the long hours he spent in this house, planning various methods to ambush the resident while he was away. The house was big, bright, airy and constructed in a manner reminiscent of the grand castles of the nobles and kings of past eras. Now, however, it seemed cold, empty and lifeless, almost as if the house itself was mourning the loss of its owner. He remembered the day when everything changed, when he felt like he was abandoned again. He tried to stop remembering but the memory rushed into his head and he could see it like it had happened yesterday.

_The guild was being rowdy as usual. Natsu had been arguing with Gray a while back, until someone had thrown a punch and the entire thing had devolved into a guild wide fist fight. Natsu was throwing punches and kicks at everything that moved, but his heart wasn't in it. It had been a week since Puneeth had left for Candia, promising to bring back exotic souvenirs for everyone. Natsu hadn't realised how much he would miss the person he had come to see as an elder brother until he had left for his destination. He quickly detached himself from the fight and sat on a stool at the bar as the fight rolled on without him. He sighed and slumped on the table. Makarov watched him with a sympathetic expression. He knew how the boy was feeling because he was feeling the same way. He also felt a foreboding emotion but passed it of as a side effect of the alcohol. It was with surprise then that he felt his pocket vibrate. He rummaged through his pockets until he found the source of the movement. A bright blue communication crystal sat on his palm. He quickly activated the crystal and was surprised to see Puneeth's face pop up from the surface._

_"Puneeth, my boy," he said, "this is a pleasant surprise. How was your journey?"_

_At the mention of Puneeth's name, the entire guild stopped fighting and gathered around the bar to get a glimpse of his face. It was then that Makarov noticed the injuries lining his face._

_"Master," he panted, "we have a problem. The city I am staying at has just been attacked by a monster."_

_"We will send a back-up squad immediately…," Makarov began._

_"Master," Puneeth interrupted, "its Acnologia."_

_The room fell silent._

_"I have to fight it," Puneeth continued, "I have to buy enough time to allow the citizens to escape the city."_

_"Do you know what you're saying," Makarov said in a low voice, that conveyed a multitude of emotions the strongest of which were anger and fear._

_"It was you who taught me never to give up," Puneeth replied. "So I guess this is goodbye."_

_"What the hell are you saying," Natsu interrupted, shouting at the top of his lungs. "Beat the shit out of that thing like you always do with the others."_

_He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Erza slowly shake her head at him. Were those tears in her eyes?_

_"Keep practicing on that magic of yours, Gray. I want your name to be known everywhere," Puneeth said, smiling tiredly. "Those swords need to be kept sharp, Erza."_

_He continued acknowledging every member in the guild, until he finally turned to Natsu._

_"Natsu," he said, "I know I promised to help you find Igneel, but I am going to have to break that promise. I am truly very sorry."_

_Natsu's eyes filled with tears. It was like Igneel all over again._

_"Your magic is an art that very few people can master, Natsu. Keep working on it and become very powerful. You can tell me all about it when we meet some other day," he said, smiling._

_Natsu couldn't speak because his throat was all choked up because of the intensity of his emotions._

_"Farewell Fairy Tail. I am proud to have been a part of this family. I will never forget you and will always watch and cheer for you," Puneeth proclaimed, while twisting his right hand into the guild's sign. "Live on and flourish."_

_The communication crystal cut out._

_Silence reigned for a few minutes, until it was abruptly cut off by a roar. The guild was in uproar with different members calling for different actions. Only Makarov, Erza and Natsu stood silent. Natsu had tears running down his cheeks, but he didn't cry. Crying never solved anything. The guild became silent again as they felt the ground rumble followed by a loud bang that sounded as though it came from really far off. Natsu sank to his knees as he struggled not to cry._

Natsu opened his eyes again to see that dusk had fallen and the house was shrouded in darkness. He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. He then looked out at the night sky and spotted a brightly glowing star.

"You promised," he whispered.

He slowly got up and left the house. He needed some company tonight. He headed towards the direction of the guild.

I approached the entrance of the guild and pushed it open. I was surprised to find that the guild was nearly empty. I looked around and spotted a short, old man sitting at the bar, surrounded by mugs of beer. I walked up to him.

"Good evening," I said, "my name is Ultor and I wish to join the guild.


	3. The Avenger

**Chapter 3**

Makarov looked up to see a tall man in a buttoned up black trench coat with blue trimmings. White trousers were visible from underneath the coat. His head was covered by a black hood that looked like it was an extension of the coat. His most discerning feature, however, was his face. This was pretty ironic because no-one would have been able to identify the man at all. His face was wrapped in bandages, leaving only his right eye visible and patches of jet black hair poked out from where the bandages were covering his scalp. His eye reminded Makarov of the darkest of nights, the foreboding nights that signalled imminent chaos and was known to drive men insane. In spite of the dark colour of his eye, it looked like it was aflame. Makarov suddenly saw a city on fire, burning in the darkness. The scene was eerie because he didn't hear the screams of its residents. It was an empty city, burning just for the sake of being burnt. Makarov shivered, in spite of himself, as he struggled to get rid of the image. He eyed the man in front of him. A frown covered his face when he noticed an oddity. He could sense no magic from the man.

"Welcome, Ultor," Makarov said, "I am the master of this guild. My name is Makarov Dreyar and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Ultor inclined his head politely as he waited for Makarov to continue.

"Unfortunately, we only accept mages into this guild, seeing as we are listed as a magic guild. You, however, seem to possess none," Makarov concluded.

"Perhaps we should speak about this in private," Ultor said as he gestured to the door behind the bar.

Makarov's gaze narrowed. How did this stranger know the direction to his office?

"Very well," he said, "follow me."

He hopped off the bar and walked toward the door. Ultor adjusted his hood and followed the old man through the door. They climbed two flights of stairs until they finally reached a polished wooden door. Makarov pushed the door open and walked through with Ultor following closely behind. The door led the duo into a spacious room lit by torches that gave the room a homely feel. Makarov walked to the desk at the center of the room and sank into a comfortable chair behind it. He gestured to Ultor to take a seat opposite him. As UItor was taking a seat, Makarov felt the strangest sense of déjà vu. Instead of the cloaked man sitting opposite him, he saw a white-haired boy with golden eyes and a charming smile. Makarov shook his head. It seems he had still not gotten over the boy.

Natsu reached the entrance to the guild and pushed the doors open. He paused, however, when he noticed a scent near the entrance. It was quite strong, suggesting that the source had just passed through the entrance. He breathed in deeply, trying to identify why it had piqued his attention. His eyes snapped open when he realised why it smelt so familiar. It smelt faintly like the scent of the house he had just vacated. This scent, however, possessed a different quality. The smell of meadows was pervaded by the weak smell of disquiet. Natsu frowned because this was the best description he could give it. He sighed and pushed through the entrance. He would need an extra strong drink to get the smell of that house out of his head. He was greeted by the sight of depressed guild members who were slumped all over the tables. His heart went out to them, but he realised that he would need to cheer them up to get them out of their shells.

"What the hell is this!" he roared. "Where the fuck is Gray at? I have to beat his brains in."

"Calm yourself, flower-power, I am right here," Gray replied.

"What the hell, perv," Natsu shouted. "Where is the 2000 jewels you owe me?"

"What the fuck are you talking about, idiot?" Gray retorted.

Instead of replying, Natsu threw a punch at the black-haired boy. His fist connected solidly with the dome of the boy's head, and sent him hurtling into the nearest wall. Gray recovered from the punch and stood up, glaring in anger at 'flower-power.'

"Now you have done it, asshole," he shouted. "Imma beat your ass to the next dimension."

After this far-fetched proclamation, he threw himself at the pink-haired boy. Very soon the two were rolling around the entire guild, trading punches and kicks. Things got out of hand when Natsu accidentally punched Elfman, and Gray's foot connected with the side of Loke's head. This started a sort of chain reaction with other members of the guild getting pulled into the fray until the entire guild hall seemed to be carrying an insane mob that was trying to rip itself apart. Lucy watched the fray from the safety of the bar. She shook her head at their antics, but understood what Natsu was trying to do. In all her time at Fairy Tail, she had never seen the guild so depressed. She thought back to the story, that Mira had told her.

"I would have liked to meet this Puneeth guy," she thought. "I bet he was real nice."

She turned around when she heard a door opening. She recognised Master Makarov but she didn't know who the cloaked man behind him was.

"You idiots!" Makarov roared. "Calm down this instant before I make you all."

All the members froze, some sporting fighting stances and others in the midst of pummelling their opponents. They looked up to see Makarov and a cloaked man looking down at them. Makarov breathed deeply through his nose before attempting to speak.

"As you can see, we have a guest."

He pointed to Ultor who was standing impassively, surveying the damage.

"This is Ultor Cacumen. He is an accomplished mage from a foreign country, and he seeks to join our guild. Make sure you help him out if he asks you, and treat him like family," Makarov said.

Lucy and Mirajane observed the newcomer with interest. He exuded an air of mystery and power with his signature attire. The bandages served to feed Lucy's over-active imagination as she pictured horrible injuries that needed to be hid. Natsu, however, recoiled at the sight of the man. He had an unnerving scent. It reminded Natsu of a once beautiful meadow that was tainted by something evil. A once bright meadow that had been occupied by a monster. He was distracted, however, when he noticed Lucy and Mira approach the man.

"Hello, my name is Lucy," the blonde said. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

Ultor nodded curtly, but not rudely.

"Likewise," he said.

"And I am Mirajane, resident barmaid of Fairy Tail."

Ultor inclined his head at her in a gesture of acknowledgement.

"He doesn't talk much does he?" Lucy thought.

Makarov watched the exchange with interest. He was interested to see how Ultor handled himself after what little he had told him about himself.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Ultor said. "I am honoured to be a part of such a renowned guild. As much as I would like to stay and mingle amongst you all, my journey has been rather long and tiring. If you would excuse me, I would like to take my leave and search out suitable accommodations for me to spend the night."

He bowed and exited the guild.

"He sure is polite," Lucy remarked to Mirajane, who giggled.

Natsu watched Ultor exit the guild, with narrowed eyes. Something wasn't right.


	4. Confrontation

**Chapter 4**

I took off my cloak and hung it on one of the chairs. The suite was spacious with a hall, a kitchen and a bedroom. The décor was tasteful with muted beige walls, modern furniture and marble flooring. I took in the feel of the room. It would suit my purposes perfectly. A bed to sleep, and a place to eat. As my eyes wandered, I noticed a small alcove in the bedroom. There was a cabinet in it with a mounted mirror. I caught my own reflection, eyeing me with that stare. A stare that spoke volumes. I reached to the back of my neck where I found the knot of the bandages tucked into my collar. Slowly and carefully, I began to unwrap it.

It was another chilly day in Magnolia. The trees were a beautiful shade of red and yellow, the paths were lined with crisp grass and the short summer clothes were being replaced by stylish autumn wear. Although the temperature was cold, almost all of the citizens were outdoors, enjoying the still-warm air blowing through the town. The Fairy Tail guild was back to their usual routine. Shouts and the sounds of object breaking emanated from the building. Nobody would have believed that this boisterous pack of party animals could behave sombrely at all. There was , however, one person who wasn't quite on the same page as the rest of his guild mates. Natsu was sitting in the far corner of the bar with his head down, appearing to be lost in thought. This in itself was surprising because most of his comrades believed that he didn't have a brain to think with. This was an unfair assumption on the boy. His fiery personality made him act in a brash manner. That is not to say that the boy wasn't smart. He was unmatched when it came to battle strategies and quick thinking, traits that were extremely vital to a combat mage in Fiore.

"Natsu, are you alright?" his partner, Lucy asked with concern. She had never seen the boy like this.

Natsu looked up and smiled at the girl.

"Yeah, I am fine. Why do you ask?" he replied.

"You seemed lost, so I thought I should ask," the girl muttered.

Natsu sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I was just thinking," he said.

At these words, the entire guild froze.

"The apocalypse has come!" a man shouted.

"Save yourselves!" screamed a violet haired girl.

"Will you shut the fuck up!" Natsu roared. "Geez you guys are assholes."

All the mages fell to the floor laughing. Natsu's lips twitched as he worked to suppress a laugh himself. The atmosphere in the guild was too light for anyone to do some serious thinking. Natsu heard the door to the guild opening. He turned around to see who had entered. All the mirth drained from his face. With his coat flapping around in the warm wind, Ultor strode into the guild. At the sight of the mage, the entire guild fell silent. Ultor walked up to the request board and stood in front of it, contemplating which mission to perform. Natsu had the distinct impression that he frowning, although he couldn't say for sure with all those bandages covering his face. Ultor looked around until he spotted the man that he was looking for.

"Good morning, Master," he began politely. "How are you today?"

Makarov looked up from his tankard of ale. His lopsided grin was proof enough that he was already drunk.

" Ul –hic- tor, my boy," he shouted. "How are you this fine morning?"

"I am well, sir," said Ultor, inclining his head in the same disarming manner as when he first greeted the guild members. "I was just over at the request board to pick up my first mission."

"Good, good," Makarov said cheerily. "See anything you like?"

"That's the problem, Master," Ultor said. "They are all too easy."

The entire guild fell silent. As one, they turned to look at the board, all of them noticing a particularly hard mission involving a wyvern and offering a reward of 1,000,000 jewels. They turned back to look at Ultor. Makarov sobered up as well and looked up to the cloaked man, only to see him completely serious. He narrowed his eyes debating various ways to persuade him to change his mind.

"Well Ultor, those are the only missions you can do until you are promoted," Makarov began carefully. "Unless you agree to let an S-class mage accompany you, I cannot allow you to take up an S-class quest."

The members all watched as Ultor's one visible eye narrowed at that statement.

"Forgive me for my ignorance, for I did not know that rank within the guild mattered in the choice of missions I had," Ultor said.

Makarov relaxed, noticing that his body had tensed unconsciously.

"It's nothing to worry about, my boy," he boomed. "You can't expect to know everything about our guild on the first day."

"If you don't mind my asking, how is it that I could be promoted to the S-class rank?" Ultor inquired.

Mirajane stood up from the bar to answer his question.

"We typically hold trials every year to determine who to promote," she said. "In rare cases, we can also promote the mage when he proves himself, without a doubt, to be capable of handling missions of S-class difficulty."

"I see," Ultor said.

Mirajane stared into his eye, lost in the hypnotic quality of the shade. Suddenly, she saw a city on fire. She gasped as she noticed the depth of the vision. Every last detail, down to the flickering flames, was so real. Ultor coughed and looked away, breaking eye contact. This gesture forced Mira back into reality. She looked around in a confused manner, slightly disoriented after the vision. Natsu looked at Ultor with narrowed eyes. He felt the familiar sense of disquiet at the sight of Ultor again. Natsu's observation was interrupted when the door banged open again.

"She's here!," a male mage screamed. "Titania has returned!"

A collective gasp was heard from the guild. Immediately, all of the members took to cleaning up the mess they had made. The wrath of the Titania was not something you would wish even upon your worst enemy. After a harried effort, the guild was deemed fit to receive the legendary mage. Just then, a scarlet haired girl in armour strode into the guild, carrying a large horn decorated with shells of some kind. She set the trophy down in the centre of the guild, and straightened up to survey the guild. Finding the guild's structure to be to her liking, she turned her attention to the people. A very odd sight greeted her. Gray and Natsu had slung their arms around each other's neck and were acting like best pals.

"Yo Erza, how's it going?" Gray chirped. "Me and Natsu have been hanging out since you weren't around."

"Aye sir!," Natsu seconded, mimicking Happy.

Erza dipped her head in a satisfied smile.

"It is good to see the two of you getting along so well," she said. "Keep it up."

At those words, the entire guild rushed her, asking if she was fine and demanding to know more about her adventures. She explained that the horn was taken from a gigantic beast that she had slain over the course of the mission. The locals had decorated it as a form of thanking her for helping them by ridding them of the beast. After she finished recounting her story, she looked around and spotted Makarov on the bar. As she made her way to him, she noticed a newcomer. The man was dressed in a long black trench coat and had bandages wrapped all over his face. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the appearance of the man. There was something oddly familiar about him. The man noticed her stare and returned it, black meeting chocolate brown eyes. Erza staggered as if hit. The city's image was burned onto her retinas, leaving behind a weird purple afterimage on her vision. Shaking the image out of her head, Erza turned to look at Ultor once more. He had turned his head away and was looking down at the floor, his hood covering his face. Determined to find out who this strange individual was, she strode up to him.

"You seem to be new here," she said. "My name is Erza Scarlet. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Ultor Cacumen," he said, in his typical brief fashion. "Likewise."

"You don't talk much do you?" Erza inquired.

"Brevity is the soul of wit," Ultor responded.

A flash of annoyance crossed Titania's face, the reason being that she had not acquired any information beyond the man's name.

"Do you live in Magnolia?" she asked.

"For now," he replied.

"Where did you come from?"

Ultor looked up sharply. Erza mentally congratulated herself over upsetting the man's composure. Ultor mulled over his response before sighing and deciding to tell the truth.

"The land that doesn't exist," he replied simply.

Erza gritted her teeth, now thoroughly annoyed. The guild watched the exchange in silence, wondering if Ultor had a death wish. He was pissing off the Titania, something that even the Council would think twice of doing.

"And where would that be?" she asked, through clenched teeth.

"Candia," Ultor replied, softly.

The whole guild froze at his words. This man was from Candia? The country destroyed by Acnologia? The final resting place of their beloved comrade? Erza reacted first, having recovered from her shock.

"Candia?" she asked. "The country to the east of Fiore? Destroyed by the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse?"

At the mention of Acnologia, Ultor visibly tensed.

"The very same," he said, his tone implying a touch of anger.

Mira decided to jump into the conversation now.

"Have you ever heard of a Candian called Puneeth?" she inquired. "He was a very special comrade."

Ultor glanced over at her, before reverting his gaze to the floor.

"Are you referring to Puneeth Lychinus?" he asked. "Former member of the Olympian High Council of Candia."

Mira nodded, remembering Puneeth's title from his home country.

"I have heard of him," Ultor said, his eyes looking at the light streaming through the windows. "We were…friends when we were younger."

Natsu glanced up sharply at that statement. Puneeth had never mentioned a friend named Ultor in all of his stories.

"His passing was an unpleasant shock to all of us," he continued. "However, it wasn't unforeseen, given that he didn't have the intelligence to run at the sight of Acnologia. It was a foolish move to engage an entity such as the infamous Dragon of the Apocalypse."

Ultor never completed his next sentence because at that moment, he was blown out of the door by a powerful blast of fire. The guild stared at the door in shock before turning to see Natsu run up to the door, his hand still encased in a glove of fire after firing that blast of magic at Ultor. In a single moment, the entire guild unfroze and followed Natsu out of the door. They saw Ultor on his feet without a scratch on him. He was dusting off his coat as though the incident was routine. He eventually turned to face Natsu, who had an enraged expression on his face.

"Nobody, especially you, will insult Puneeth in front of me," Natsu roared.

"Might I ask why you reacted so rudely?" Ultor asked calmly.

"Shut the fuck up!," Natsu shouted. "You already know the reason, you smug faced bastard."

Ultor sighed and attempted once more to defuse the situation.

"I don't know what I said that angered you to this extent," he said. "I must warn you, however, that I let you hit me in the guild. I will not allow myself to be touched by you again."

Natsu growled and flames appeared on every inch of his body.

"Bring it on, fuckface!"


	5. Titania's rage

**Chapter 5**

Lucy was shocked to see Natsu behave in this manner. For as long as she had known him, she thought that he was a happy-go-lucky kind of guy with a generally laid back manner. Now she was re-evaluating all that she thought he was. Here was an enraged dragon slayer, ready to wreak havoc upon the one who insulted his pride.

The other members of the guild were in similar states of shock; so much so that they had forgone their usual round of betting before any fight began. Natsu was enveloped in roiling flames, a sign of the degree of his anger. Ultor, on the other hand, stood relaxed with his hands at his sides, calmly observing the pink-haired mage. A person trained in combat would, however, notice a certain stiffness about him, like that of a predator before it goes in for the kill.

"Do you think we should stop this?" Lucy asked softly.

"Nothing can stop Natsu now," Gray said nonchalantly.

Erza nodded her assent, secretly hoping that Natsu would crush this Ultor fellow. She considered him to be a smug and arrogant man who deserved to be brought down to size.

Natsu and Ultor stared each other down. Suddenly the image of the burning city popped into Natsu's head. However, it was the extent of his rage that he didn't notice anything but the man in the black coat standing in front of him. Finally tiring of the staring contest, Natsu took the initiative, seeking to crush this worm quickly.

He charged Ultor in a straight line, his fists wrapped in flames.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist," he shouted as he attempted to sock Ultor in the face.

To his surprise, Ultor neatly sidestepped the attack. The force of his momentum pushed Natsu past Ultor, but he quickly recovered. Pirouetting on his hands, Natsu enveloped his legs in flames and swung them at Ultor.

"Fire Dragon's Talons!"

Again Ultor avoided the attack, ducking underneath the fiery limb. His movements were fluid and almost mesmerising. The guild watched in silence, impressed by his movements.

Natsu jumped back onto his feet and turned to face Ultor. His eyes narrowed when he realised that the recent bout had not tired his opponent at all. He had to admit that Ultor was pretty nimble on his feet, in spite of the bulky clothes he wore. He also seemed to possess great amounts of stamina seeing as he was not out of breath. Natsu quickly analysed all this information, unconsciously utilising his brilliant, analytical mind in a bid to devise a battle strategy. There was, however, one missing link. Ultor hadn't even used his magic yet.

"My magic will not be necessary to defeat you," Ultor said simply. "I do not wish to cause you any permanent harm."

A vein popped out on Natsu's head. This asshole wasn't even taking him seriously.

Quickly devising a strategy, Natsu put his plan into action. He fired a concentrated blast of magic at Ultor and immediately dashed around, so as to sandwich Ultor between his magic and physical blows. Ultor just stood there, staring impassively at the magic. Natsu grinned, thinking that Ultor was distracted by his magic. He blinked. Before he could reopen his eyes, he felt an incredible force from the side. Ultor had just appeared to his left and grabbed his head, forcing it into the ground. The momentum of Ultor's manoeuvre pushed him forward 50 feet, with Natsu's face scraping against the ground the whole time. Lifting Natsu up by his head, Ultor swung a devastating round house kick against Natsu's side. A loud crack was heard when his foot connected, hurling Natsu into the trees so fast that velocity trails were visible.

The entire guild was shocked. They hadn't even seen Ultor move, much less go on the offensive. Over the course of maybe 3 seconds, Ultor had intercepted an attack and possibly disabled one of their most powerful mages with a single kick. This was not a man to be reckoned with.

Natsu struggled to get up, holding onto one of the still intact trees as a support. That last kick had shattered two ribs and they were pressing uncomfortably against his lungs. Fortunately, the fragments hadn't punctured any organs, so he wouldn't be dying by internal bleeding. As he finally got to his feet, he looked up at Ultor with rage. The man was standing about 50 metres away, his expression unreadable.

Summoning the rest of his magic, Natsu breathed in deeply as he prepared to unleash one of his most powerful attacks.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!," he screamed, as a whirling torrent of white-hot flames blasted forth from his mouth, headed straight for Ultor, consuming everything in its path. Ultor seemed to blur for a second. Suddenly Natsu registered a loud metallic ringing to his left. He looked around and gasped in shock. Erza stood to his left, sword drawn, but that wasn't what surprised him. Ultor was there too his fist outstretched mere centimetres from Natsu's face. The only thing stopping him from making contact was the thin sheet of tempered steel, currently being wielded by Erza.

"Contrary to your words, you would have done serious damage to my friend if that fist had made contact," Erza stated coldly.

"I beg to differ," Ultor responded. "I pulled my fist at the last moment. It would have merely knocked him out. Had I been aiming at maiming this boy here, your sword would not be connected to that hilt."

Natsu blinked slowly as his brain strove to process the situation. He had seen Ultor's image blur slightly before he heard the sound. His eyes widened as he realized what had happened. Ultor had not been standing there at all. He had been looking at a false image. Ultor had moved so fast that he had left behind an image of himself standing in the same spot. His breath hitched as he realized how close he had come to being permanently injured.

Erza's eyes narrowed at Ultor's statement. He was clearly underestimating her.

"You have proved your point," she declared. "There is no need to continue this fight."

Ultor nodded and straightened up to his usual stiff posture. He looked down at Natsu as he clutched his chest in pain.

"I know you think that I am arrogant," he stated. "Frankly, it doesn't really matter what you think. However, do not ever presume to attack me for my opinions. Lychinus was a childhood friend of mine. His idiocy ensured that Candia would never rise again. Even I wouldn't be presumptuous enough to challenge Acnologia. The time he spent amongst fools like you weakened him to the point where he could no longer assess his situation logically."

Natsu grit his teeth in anger at Ultor's words. However, doubt seeped into his head. Was he really responsible for Puneeth's loss?

Ultor turned to walk away.

"Wait," Erza said.

He turned around and looked at her.

"There are two things that I absolutely detest," she said coldy. "One, when someone disturbs me when I am eating strawberry cake."

The entire guild sweat-dropped at that statement.

"Two, when somebody insults my friends."

Lucy raised her eyebrows in shock. This was going to get ugly.

"Re-quip!" Erza shouted. "Heaven's Wheel Armour."

She summoned 3 swords.

"Heaven's Circle, Blumenblatt!" she shouted, as she hurled all 3 swords at Ultor.

The swords sped towards Ultor. He had sunk into a crouched stance as he waited for the swords to reach him. Just before the first sword impaled him through the chest, Ultor ducked, allowing the sword to pass harmlessly over his back. In a brilliant move that most of the guild had trouble following, he swung himself around, reaching out with his right hand to grasp the sword's hilt. Using the rest of his momentum, he swung himself back to face Erza, just in time to deflect the second and third swords.

Erza's jaw dropped in shock. He had just decimated her attack using purely physical moves, a feat that no one had achieved before him. As she stared at Ultor, he seemed to blur out. Suddenly, there was a sword at her neck. Ultor stood behind her with his right hand holding her in a pseudo-embrace. The edge of the sword was against Erza's neck. Erza couldn't help but blush at the intimacy of Ultor's manoeuvre. He had an arm wrapped around her and was standing quite close to her, his chest brushing against her back.

"You're dead, Titania," he said.

He jumped back and tossed the sword back at her.

"Would you like to continue?" he asked.

Slowly, Erza shook her head. Ultor relaxed again and stood up. Without another word, he turned around and walked down the road. Erza stared after him, not really sure what had just happened. She turned around to look at the guild. All of them had expressions of shock on their faces. In a single explosive moment, they all unfroze.

"He beat both Natsu and Erza!" they yelled.

"Holy shit!" Gray swore.


End file.
